US Elections: Trump’s Twitter to lose privileges as he exits White House

As Joe Biden and running mate Kamala Harris’ US Election victory ushers in an era of change in the United States of America (USA), so too will change be felt across the corridors of Twitter. That’s because Donald Trump’s privileges on the platform are set to be revoked now that he is no longer Commander-in-Chief. 

Twitter afford world leaders and certain other prominent figures a degree of grace when it comes to the restrictions it places on tweets with disputed or dubious content that could possibly be the source of misinformation. 

Twitter leave certain tweet ‘if in the public interest’  

According to it’s policy agreement, Twitter “generally actions Tweets that violate its rules”. 

“However, we recognise that sometimes it may be in the public interest to allow people to view Tweets that would otherwise be taken down. We consider content to be in the public interest if it directly contributes to understanding or discussion of a matter of public concern,” they say. 

“At present, we limit exceptions to one critical type of public-interest content—Tweets from elected and government officials—given the significant public interest in knowing and being able to discuss their actions and statements.”

“As a result, in rare instances, we may choose to leave up a Tweet from an elected or government official that would otherwise be taken down. Instead we will place it behind a notice providing context about the rule violation that allows people to click through to see the Tweet.”

Official accounts to be transferred  

When it comes to Trump, these rules have certainly been a source of grace. During his tenure at the White House, and especially over the past four days during the election counting process that he hotly disputed, Trump, and other members of his administration, have seen their tweets veiled by the disclaimer that their contents may not be accurate and could contain subject matter that seeks to stir up violence or discord. 

“This policy framework applies to current world leaders and candidates for office, and not private citizens when they no longer hold these positions,” a Twitter spokesperson confirms to The Verge.

Accounts such as the @WhiteHouse, @POTUS, and @FLOTUS handles are transferred to a new administration after an outgoing president steps down.